Play: Death and the Maiden

Last night, I had what was probably my last event rescheduled because of Covid - I was headed to the postponed Tarot, at Soho Theatre. Wow, it's over two years since I was there last.. (and now TAC have tickets, blast.) But then it was cancelled, so I headed - with TAC - to Death and the Maiden at The Tower Theatre.

Finished work a bit early, and headed to catch the #149 - which sailed past as I was making my way there. But another was along amazingly quickly, which I then took all the way up a long, straight road, and was deposited down the road from the theatre, where I looked for food. I'd been thinking of eating at The Three Crowns, but their kitchen only opens five days a week, it turns out - and looking around, the best potential seemed to be in the "award-winning" Yum Yum Thai restaurant. So I moseyed in there.

It has quite an imposing entrance, across a courtyard and up some steps - and inside, it's dark and hushed. In fact, I could only see people waiting for takeaways - so it was in a hushed voice that I asked whether I might have a table for one. No problem at all - the seating area is located discreetly behind a wall.

Note the Japanese-style seating to the right! The staff were unfailingly friendly and helpful, and I noted a table of regulars that sat across from me. I hardly had time to look at the menu before someone popped up to take my order - I was spoiled for choice with the starters, but settled on satay chicken, with cashew chicken and egg fried rice to follow. And it wasn't long arriving either!

I should really have gone for the chicken balls with sweet chilli sauce - I wasn't crazy about the satay. And so to the main - and the rice came in a steamer with a dinky spoon holder in the side! which contained something like a rice ladle:

Wow, I've never had such spicy cashew chicken! The lady came to ask whether I was OK with it.. it certainly cleared out my pipes, and indeed my nose ran so badly that they got me an extra napkin! Yeah, maybe a bit too spicy for my liking. But tasty. The rice was lovely. Meantime, my meal was constantly interrupted by messages from that landlady who's supposed to be showing me the flat on Friday, wanting to know how her second payment is coming along. V friendly in tone, mind. Interestingly, when I questioned her about whether the lawyer's name that she'd given me was the same as one I found on an internet search, she still didn't answer me, but just remarked how interested I was in research..

I'd have stayed for ice cream, maybe a second glass of their lovely wine, but I had to go. Have to say, prices are excellent! Just a short walk to the theatre then, and another warm welcome - gee, people sure are friendly in Stoke Newington! My name was checked off a list, and I was encouraged to buy a programme - but I made a beeline for the bar. Where, as the usher informed me, I could also buy a programme. But it's just a flier of ads, so I didn't. Instead, I had a glass of wine that the lady behind the bar described to me as very dry, but which I found rather sweet! I changed it to a plastic container to take upstairs, where seating was open, but we were socially distanced. And I had practically first pick! So, an excellent seat.

This is the disturbing story of the aftermath of a dictatorship - as the characters at the centre of the play are called Éscobar, a Spanish-speaking country, otherwise unspecified. Mister Éscobar, as we discover, is a lawyer appointed to a sort of truth and reconciliation commission, to discover the wrongdoers and have them acknowledge their misdeeds. His wife seems a bit jittery, with a sort of PTSD it seems. One night, he's home late because his car had a puncture and he had no spare - he's been given a lift by a friend of his, a doctor, whom he invites to stay the night because it's so late. But his wife has an extreme reaction to their unexpected guest..

It's good. I found her performance quite difficult to watch, but I think that's because she was trying to portray someone on the edge of sanity.. Honestly, the husband seemed somewhat nondescript to me, but then his role in this is peripheral - he's pretty much learning the story as he goes along, like we are. And his place isn't in the limelight. The story is horrific - raises interesting questions about forgiveness, acceptance, justice..

At the interval, I returned to the bar - and I don't know whether it had been there before, but I suddenly spotted an ad for a "show cocktail"; the wife in the show is described as making great margaritas, and this is the special at the bar! £4.50, so I had one - hadn't had a margarita for years. And it was so tasty, I had another! Highly recommended! The show runs until Saturday, with another socially distanced performance for that day's matinée. Good one.

Again, it ran too late to blog last night. Adopting a policy of minimal contact with that landlady from now on, it's easier - I'll plead work pressures. Tonight, back with TAC - for another operatic evening at Hoxton Hall. National Opera Studio is presenting Mozart: Secrets and Seduction. (So much for Meetup being busy on Wednesdays!) So, two days in a row with them - ironically, Guided Walking Tours in Brighton and Sussex have online talks scheduled for both nights - and I would have gone to either, or both, but the links weren't working! By the time the organiser updated them, I'd booked for the other events.

Tomorrow, my only Meetup of the week - I'm back with Up in the Cheap Seats, to see a performance of As You Like It at Wilton's. Went for a slightly more expensive seat than usual, this time - I'm sick of straining my neck.

Supposed flat viewing on Friday - we shall see. Then back to Ireland for the weekend - would you believe it, I've exhausted the films showing locally that I'm interested in! So it'll be a quiet one.

On Monday, headed to Middle, at the National.

On Tuesday, back with Civilised London for a meal at last - this one is at Mestizo (Mexican). Not usually my favourite, but I'll give it a shot. Meeting beforehand at the Crown & Anchor.

Next Wednesday - well, I saw on Meetup that a group called Get a Tech Developer Job has a free webinar, Learn Web Scraping with Python! Now, we're expected to use Python in my new job, and I never have - so this could be very handy indeed.

On the 19th, I'm headed to the Crick Crack Club again, for Astray, at Rich Mix. A storytelling double bill, both Irish ladies telling Irish myths!

On the 20th, headed to Marys Seacole, at Donmar Warehouse. Based on a true story. I've heard mixed reviews - we shall see.

And on the 21st - well Lordy, I've booked for the Roman London Walk, with Walk About London (also advertised on Walks, Talks & Treasure Hunts - both linked to London Guided Walks). Now, I missed the last two I was booked on with this company - third time lucky?